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- Influence of nutrient availability on drought-induced changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in sunflower leavesPublication . David, Maria Manuela; Barrote, Isabel; Correia, Maria JoãoWe aimed to evaluate if plants with different nutrient availability evidenced a different capacity to overcome drought-induced oxidative stress. Membrane peroxidative damages as MDA concentration and the activity of several antioxidant enzymes were determined in leaves of well watered (WW) and water stressed (WS) H. annuus plants grown either with adequate (Adeq Nutr) or limited (Limit Nutr) nutrient regimes. Constitutive capacity to eliminate ROS was not overall changed by growing plants with different nutrient supply regimes, but a diverse enzyme-dependent response was observed. In response to drought SOD and DHAR activity increased only in plants with limited nutrient supply, while in plants with adequate nutrient supply the activity of these enzymes did not change and were constitutively higher, but the activity APX increased by 50%. The subtle observed changes in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes are discussed, given that no oxidative damage was observed.
- The effects of drought on net CO2 uptake, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigments in mature and young leaves of sunflowerPublication . Osório, Maria Leonor; Barrote, Isabel; Osório, Júlio; David, Maria Manuela; Correia, Maria JoãoPhotosynthesis, photosystem II activity and photosynthetic pigments were analysed in mature and Young leaves of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) during dehydration and rehydration, in order to determine the influence of leaf age on the sensitivity to drought. Dehydration caused a more pronounced inhibition in photosynthetic rates in mature leaves compared to younger leaves, but 24 h after rewatering the recovery was complete in spite of leaf age. After exposure to drought, mature leaves showed a larger reduction in the actual PSII photochemical efficiency and a higher increase in nonradiative energy dissipation than young leaves. In well-watered plants the de-epoxidation level represented by the ratio A+Z/V+A+Z was higher in young leaves. However drought had opposite effects on both type of leaves: in young leaves A+Z/V+A+Z decreased with water deficit, while in mature leaves increased with soil drying. The results obtained suggest that leaf age influence the “strategy” to avoid irreversible damage of PSII activity under drought and that older leaves are more drought-sensitive than younger leaves of sunflower.
- Influence of transient shade periods on the effects of drought on photosynthesis, carbohydrate accumulation and lipid peroxidation in sunflower leavesPublication . Correia, Maria João; Osório, Maria Leonor; Osório, Júlio; Barrote, Isabel; Martins, Mónica; David, Maria ManuelaThe effects of a slow-imposing two-weeks soil drying period, and subsequent re-watering, on leaf water potential (Ψ), gas exchange rates, chlorophyll fluorescence and on the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and non-structural carbohydrates (starch, hexose and sucrose) were determined in mature leaves of sunflower plants growing under controlled environmental conditions. To assess how transient shade periods, associated with increased cloud cover, may influence drought-induced effects on carbon assimilation, measurements were carried out both in plants kept under the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) prevailing during the growth period and stress imposition (750 μmol m-2 s-1), and in plants subjected to a 5 hours-long period under a lower PPFD (200 μmol m-2 s-1). In plants kept under high PPFD, Ψ, stomatal conductance (g), net CO2 uptake rate (A), the quantum yield of photosystem II electron transport (Φe), the photochemical efficiency of open PSII reaction centres (Fv’/Fm’) and * Corresponding author. Tel: +351 289800932; fax: +351 289818419. E-mail address: jcorreia@ualg.pt (M.J. Correia) 1 the diurnal accumulation of total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) were significantly depressed at the end of the soil drying period, whereas non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), the concentrations of MDA and the predawn pools of soluble sugars were found to increase. Under high-light level, drought-induced effects on lipid peroxidation, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and gas exchange rates were fully reversed upon re-watering. However, the inhibition of diurnal accumulation of TNC still persisted two days following re-watering, suggesting that carbohydrate export rates were enhanced following stress relief. An overall positive effect was found upon transferring water-stressed plants to low light level, as indicated by the increases in Ψ, intrinsic water use efficiency (A/g), Φe and Fv’/Fm’, as well as the reversal of drought-induced enhancement of both NPQ and MDA concentration. Despite g being similar in shaded well-watered and re-watered plants, the latter exhibited net CO2 uptake rates below those found in well-watered leaves under the same light conditions, together with a diurnal decrease in the concentration of TNC that was mainly attributable to the depletion of starch and sucrose. These results indicate that contrasting with the positive effects of shading on water-stressed plants, low PPFD may negatively affect the recovery of net photosynthesis following stress relief.
- Interaction between water and nutrient deficiencies in helianthus annuusPublication . Fonseca, Filomena; David, Maria Manuela; Barrote, Isabel; Ferreira, Gisela; Correia, Maria João; Martins-Loução, M. A.; Hips, S. H.The physiological response of plants to water deficits are known to vary according to the conditions of application of drought stress and the rate of development of leaf water deficits. At the whole plant level the effect of the water shess is usually perceived as a decrease in photosynthesis and growth, and is associated with alterations in C and N metabolism (McDonald and Davies, 1996). The decrease in water potential affects transpiration and hence xylem transport of nitrate or reduced N into growing regions. The response of the photo-synthetic apparatus either to water stress or rehydration seems to be dependent "on leaf age (O'Neill, 1983; Wolfe et al., 1988). Degradation of both thylakoid and stromal N-containing compounds can occur in response to water stress, recovery from which may pequire more than a week (Chaves, 1991).